Crops Decimated in Southeast

In damage estimates being compared to that of a hurricane, the southern states are seeing utter destruction of peach, apple, blueberry and hay crops due to the record cold temperatures being experienced there. In some areas, 90% of the yearly crop has been destroyed. This will not only raise the price of fruit in your local supermaket, but will also increase the cost of meat as farmers have to pay more for things like hay and other livestock feed that have been affected.

CNN reports:

In South Carolina, at least 90 percent of the peach crop was destroyed and officials said Wednesday they would seek federal aid.

"This is comparable to a hurricane," Agriculture Commissioner Hugh Weathers said of the damage to the state's $40 million-a-year industry. "Growers say we'll be fortunate to get 10 percent of a crop."

In Georgia, farmers and agriculture officials were still assessing the damage, but the weekend freeze may have wiped out more than half the state's peach crop.

"There's no doubt we had damage," said Joe McManus, a commodities specialist with the Georgia Farm Bureau. "It's just a matter of to what extent. Peaches, I'm hearing 50 [percent] plus."

The freeze also killed off a large portion of Georgia's $60 million-a-year blueberry crop.

"Most anything that was green got damaged," said Danny Stanalan, extension coordinator for southeast Georgia's Bacon County. "Our blueberries took a hard hit."